Sara Hotel

Aswan

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Built on a clifftop overlooking the Nile about 2km beyond the Nubia Museum, the Sara is isolated but has fantastic views over the First Cataract and the Western Desert. It’s worth putting up with the kitsch pastel decor for the 60 spotlessly clean rooms with satellite TV, a friendly staff and a good-sized pool overlooking the Nile.

Corner rooms have huge balconies. The cafeteria is hugely popular with Aswanis. A shuttle bus runs into town hourly. If you want to stay in Aswan for a few days of peace and quiet, the Sara is a good choice, unless the in-house disco revives.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Trajans Kiosk on Philae Island near Aswan, Upper Egypt.

    Temple of Isis

    2.92 MILES

    Built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the…

  • Exhibits of monuments in the Museum of Nubia in Aswan, Egypt.

    Nubia Museum

    1.05 MILES

    The little-visited Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation…

  • Aswan botanical gardens.

    Aswan Botanical Gardens

    2.04 MILES

    Kitchener’s Island, to the west of Elephantine Island, was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was commander of the Egyptian army…

  • Ruins of Abu on Elephantine Island with Nile River in the background.

    Ruins of Abu

    1.21 MILES

    The evocative ruins of ancient Abu and the Aswan Museum (partially closed for renovation) lie at Elephantine Island's southern tip. Numbered plaques and…

  • Unfinished Obelisk

    Unfinished Obelisk

    1.18 MILES

    Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in…

  • Temple Of Kom Ombo in Egypt.

    Temple of Kom Ombo & Crocodile Museum

    26.64 MILES

    Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo,…

  • Kalabsha Temple on an island on Lake Nasser near Aswan in Egypt.

    Kalabsha Temple

    7.46 MILES

    Kalabsha Temple is an impressive Ptolemaic and Roman structure, not unlike nearby Philae in its layout. The early 19th-century Swiss traveller Burckhardt …

  • Interior view of Tomb of Sarenput II in Qubbet el-Hawa a site of a group of Rock-cut Tombs of the Nobles on the western Bank of the Nile, opposite Aswan Egypt

    Tombs of the Nobles

    2.42 MILES

    The high cliffs opposite Aswan, just north of Kitchener’s Island, are honeycombed with the tombs of the governors, the Keepers of the Gate of the South,…

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Nearby Aswan attractions

1. Swimming Beach

0.73 MILES

This lovely beach on the Nile is safe for swimming, but you'll need a motor boat to get there, or walk or take a camel from Gharb Seheyl.

2. Gharb Seheyl

1.04 MILES

Gharb Seheyl, the village opposite Seheyl island, has become popular tourist attraction of late, both with excursions from Aswan and for those looking for…

3. Seheyl

1.04 MILES

Situated just north of the old Aswan Dam, the island of Seheyl was sacred to the goddess Anukis. Before the dam’s construction, the Nile would rush…

4. Nubia Museum

1.05 MILES

The little-visited Nubia Museum, opposite Basma Hotel, is a treat, a showcase of the history, art and culture of Nubia. Established in 1997 in cooperation…

5. Fatimid Cemetery

1.05 MILES

Among the modern graves are some ruined mud-brick domed tombs, some of which go back to the Fatimid period (9th century). The domes are built on a drum…

6. Unfinished Obelisk

1.18 MILES

Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in…

7. Ruins of Abu

1.21 MILES

The evocative ruins of ancient Abu and the Aswan Museum (partially closed for renovation) lie at Elephantine Island's southern tip. Numbered plaques and…

8. Nilometer of Khnum

1.26 MILES

The Nilometer of the Temple of Khnum (plaque number 7) is below the southern balustrade of the temple. Built in the 26th dynasty, the Nilometer's stone…